“Thump… thump… thump…” As Hao Xue uttered those words, He Yiming could clearly hear the rapid, powerful beat of his own heart.

Misty Divine Weapon…

For a Dominance-level cultivator to ascend to a true Venerable of the Three Blossoms Convergence, they must completely merge their true qi with their Divine Weapon and absorb it into their body.

To achieve this, the Misty Divine Weapon state was the only viable path.

In essence, only after successfully nebulizing the Divine Weapon could it be drawn into the body, thus achieving advancement to the formidable Venerable realm.

Likewise, once the Divine Weapon could be misted, it meant one foot was already planted firmly in the Venerable threshold. After absorbing the Divine Weapon and entering a period of secluded cultivation, using the weapon to commune with the energies of Heaven and Earth would grant access to all manner of special abilities exclusive to Venerables.

According to Hao Xue, collecting just three Coagulating Blood Beads would completely dissolve the massive barrier preventing ascension from the Dominance level to Venerable. All that would then be required was a set period of cultivation to smoothly break through the limit.

In that instant, He Yiming was certain: if this knowledge were to spread, every master under the heavens would go utterly mad for it.

He drew a deep breath. Slowly, the violently beating rhythm of his heart returned to calm.

Hao Xue and his two companions waited silently, showing not the slightest hint of impatience. After all, they had experienced this moment themselves and understood the surging turmoil within He Yiming’s mind. If He Yiming had appeared utterly indifferent, it would have only stirred their suspicion.

After a long pause, He Yiming finally spoke: “I see. No wonder you allied together so quickly after entering the Ghost Cry Ridge, and without commencing cultivation.”

Hao Xue’s expression stiffened slightly. “Esteemed Sir, you too are a Dominance-level expert. Hearing this, what are your thoughts?” He paused. “Tell me the truth. If such an opportunity were placed before you, what choice would you make? Would you choose to continue cultivating, gambling for the one-in-a-hundred chance of advancing to Venerable, or would you employ extraordinary means to guarantee success?”

He Yiming’s mind raced through calculations, yet after only a moment, he was struck with a sad realization: even he could barely resist the temptation.

The ** of being able to nebulize the Divine Weapon with one hundred percent certainty was simply too immense.

This ** was akin to a man, starved for three days and nights and on the verge of death, suddenly beholding a table laden with fragrant delicacies. Even knowing that the feast was laced with deadly arsenic, he would still choose to die a full stomach.

For a martial arts master, this was an irresistible temptation. Even He Yiming was no exception.

“Esteemed Sir, you now know the purpose of the Coagulating Blood Beads. And I can tell you truthfully: aside from myself, no cultivator below the Venerable realm has mastered the secret, profound art of Coagulation Technique.” Hao Xue’s voice dripped with temptation: “We have at most one month remaining in Ghost Cry Ridge. If you join us, perhaps in the remaining ten days, we can collect enough Coagulating Blood Beads. If you act alone, you will surely gain nothing.”

He Yiming’s eyes shifted, and he asked in a deep voice: “How many Coagulating Blood Beads have you acquired already?”

Hao Xue hesitated. He knew this was the critical moment; concealing the true number now could jeopardize their alliance.

Since each person required three beads, the four of them needed twelve in total to satisfy everyone. Furthermore, every additional person they ambushed multiplied the danger of exposure. Thus, the actual count could not be hidden, or the situation would become irreconcilable later.

He looked up and said sincerely, “The three of us have been in Ghost Cry Ridge for twenty days and have ambushed nine people in total. Excluding the one beside you, we had two unfortunate slips, so we have secured six Coagulating Blood Beads.”

He Yiming responded with a soft hum, seemingly to himself: “Six beads, plus this one makes seven. If everyone is to have three, we still need a full five more.”

Hao Xue’s voice dropped low, edged with a hint of ruthlessness: “With the assistance of the Yellow Springs Gate’s Veil Art and Concealment Technique, we should be able to acquire five more Coagulating Blood Beads within five days.”

A potent killing intent surged in He Yiming’s eyes. Five Coagulating Blood Beads meant five living souls, and these were the lives of five masters at the Three Blossoms realm.

Yet, to the three of them, these lives seemed utterly insignificant—mere raw material for their Coagulating Blood Beads.

This mentality bordered infinitely close to that of demons.

In this moment, He Yiming thought of the great confrontation between East and West, and of this Ghost Cry Ridge.

Something seemed to stab fiercely at the deepest part of his heart, causing a subtle, aching pain.

The Martial Path, the further one walked it, the more cold and ruthless it became. Perhaps one day, he too would become like these centenarians, driven solely by profit, casting aside all human empathy and propriety.

But certainly not now.

His grip tightened slightly on the Forked Sword. He Yiming’s true qi surged and boiled, yet his tone was the antithesis of his inner state.

He spoke with a hint of relief in his voice, “Very well, I accept your invitation.”

The three of Hao Xue were instantly overjoyed. They had deliberated for so long, even revealing their entire hidden truth without reservation, all to gain this man’s acceptance.

As long as this man agreed to join forces, everything else could be managed.

Whether they truly cooperated, or waited for an opportunity to strike him down as well, the immediate crisis was, for the moment, resolved.

However, Zhu Guanhao’s expression suddenly tightened, and he exclaimed: “That’s not right.”

Everyone’s nerves instantly snapped taut; He Yiming’s heart nearly stopped beating entirely.

He felt intensely frustrated. To mask his killing intent, he had even kept his eyes half-open and half-closed. If his demeanor was still detected, He Yiming felt he might as well end his own life then and there.

Fang Sheng quickly asked: “Brother Zhu, what did you discover?”

He Yiming and Hao Xue strained their ears, both waiting. The moment Zhu Guanhao spoke anything detrimental, they would act immediately, giving it their best effort even if the success rate was low.

Yet, Zhu Guanhao seemed entirely oblivious to the tense, drawn-out atmosphere between them. His voice was urgent and tinged with palpable fear.

“Haven’t you noticed the black mist here has grown much thicker?”

Everyone froze, and then, every face changed color.

A thought immediately flashed through He Yiming’s mind. Before entering Ghost Cry Ridge, Jin Zhanyi had warned them about a forbidden zone: the highest peak of the mountain range. That area had a distinct characteristic: the fog there was vastly denser than below. Even with their strength, they could barely see three steps ahead.

When they parted ways, Jin Zhanyi had stressed repeatedly that if they ever entered such a region, they must leave immediately, no matter what.

Though he didn’t know the danger lurking in the dense mist, the fact that it could make Jin Zhanyi so anxious meant it was certainly not benign.

However, He Yiming felt no panic at this moment. This was because, among everyone present, he alone knew that the reason the mist here had suddenly thickened so much was not because they had reached the summit, but because he had been continuously circulating the power of Cloud and Mist.

Under the influence of this marvelous Cloud and Mist power, the surrounding black fog was constantly being drawn toward him. It acted like a gathering process, centered on this spot, swirling like a vortex, pulling the black mist from all directions toward them.

There had been subtle signs at first, but they weren't obvious, so the others had paid no heed.

While talking, He Yiming had kept running the Cloud and Mist power to conceal his movements as much as possible, ensuring no flaw showed.

Thus, the black mist grew thicker and thicker, until it reached a density comparable to the mountaintop—so dense that even for Dominance-level experts, they could only see three meters ahead.

For a moment, the place fell deathly silent, save for the whistling sound of the mountain wind.

Just as He Yiming considered using this opportunity to strike, his ears twitched slightly.

Then, everyone heard it: a faint, subtle rustling sound.

Though the noise was extremely quiet, everyone present was at least a Dominance-level master. Under their focused listening, this minute rustle sounded as distinct as a thunderclap.

He Yiming was merely curious, trying to deduce the sound's origin.

But the faces of the three from Hao Xue changed drastically. Fang Sheng cried out in alarm: “The Thousand Year Cataclysm…”

Hao Xue roared, “Scatter and run! Get out!”

Before his shout faded, the three had already spun around and fled like lightning toward the mountain exit.

This time, they did not stick together; instead, they took divergent paths, scattering completely in the blink of an eye.

He Yiming stared, dumbfounded by their reaction, utterly failing to comprehend their intent.

Judging by their demeanor, they appeared utterly terrified, and this fear was deeply rooted, causing them to abandon even their plans for the Coagulating Blood Beads.

For a martial arts master who had reached the Dominance realm, voluntarily abandoning the chance to advance to Venerable to flee must signify something truly extraordinary.

If He Yiming hadn’t been absolutely certain that this thick black fog was not the summit mist but rather what his Cloud and Mist power had summoned, he too would have fled heedlessly with Hao Xue and the others at the first instant.

The rustling sound gradually grew louder, causing a chill to crawl up He Yiming’s spine. He moved swiftly, arriving at the source of the noise.

When he clearly saw what it was, his face immediately filled with complex emotion…